The trouble with silver
by elfgirlManveri
Summary: Remus gets hurt, Sirius gets cross and Kreacher gets in trouble. It all fun and games at 12 Grimmauld place! winces. NON-slash. (I don't like slash) Musings related to HBP plot and beyond. R&R please as this is my first HP fanfic
1. A walk in the Moonlight

The trouble with silver

Disclaimer: J.K.'s, not mine. You get the idea

He lay on his left side, gasping. It came out as more of a panting whimper but he couldn't help that. At least that was the painful part over with for another month. He sat up gently, careful not to make anything ache more than it already did, and stretched the stiffness from his limbs, then lay back down again.

The pain of the transformation was almost certainly the worst part now, Lupin decided. Human bodies just weren't meant to contort that way. Previously the worst part had been the constant fear that he would spend the night as a hideous monster who could easily kill or bite anyone if he got loose. The pain, although it was terrible as it happened, he only remembered briefly when he came round afterwards. As long as he drank that disgusting but very necessary Wolfsbane potion, that fear could now be removed. But that meant the pain lasted longer. He gasped for a little longer until his breathing steadied, then got off the bed.

For the sake of the others he tried to keep quiet while he was changing but it was very difficult. So he had taken to confining himself to the third floor room with Buckbeak on full moon nights, with Sirius joining him occasionally to keep him company, and just in case something went wrong. Naturally he preferred to be alone for a while around full moon and the other members of the Order that also lodged in 12 Grimmauld Place had learned to keep to the lower floors if they heard strange noises from the upper floors and not to mention it afterwards. Sirius didn't mind them being there one little bit. In fact, after his years in Azkaban, he seemed almost desperate to cram as many people into his house as were happy to be there. Consequently, as well as Sirius and Remus, Mad-Eye Moody, Tonks, Kingsley and the entire Weasley family were regular guests.

But Sirius wasn't with him tonight. Remus had snuck off on his own to transform, insisting that he would not spoil the fun the others were having downstairs. In truth he was a little annoyed that they'd noticed him leave.

It was only natural that he be rather self-conscious. His condition was potentially dangerous, it was painful, it was awkward… and it was embarrassing. And there was nothing he could do about it. He sighed a heavy, wolfish sigh, scratching his newly-lengthened snout with a clawed paw. It was strange to finally bring it out in the open, but the change was welcome in some ways. No more hiding and lying; it was refreshing. Besides, if he hadn't made it generally known when full moon was approaching, it would have played havoc with the Order's rota.

He felt unusually restless tonight. He wanted to get out and, - oh, the irony - go for a walk. Normally he resisted the urge and stayed in the room, but… maybe he could manage it tonight. It had been a fine summers evening with a late sunset and an even later moonrise. It would be midnight soon and the house would be in bed. If he kept quiet and stayed inside the house then there was really no reason why he shouldn't. If he was careful.

He settled down to wait for midnight.

When he heard the clock strike twelve he strolled cautiously out and along the landing, clawed feet not making a sound. The house looked different when he saw it this way. Less colour, but more texture. More scents and feelings of things. He could tell exactly who had last walked down these stairs and the whole place seemed to glow slightly in his over-sensitive eyes.

He went downwards first, down the stairs and along the first floor hallway. Past the door of the Weasley boys' shared room, pulled to, with someone's loud snores floating out. Pausing, he heard a brief scuffle and then the THWUMP of a pillow. Someone cried "Ow!" and two other voices moaned sleepily back at him.

"Stop snoring Ron."

"It's like listening to a train." Ron made a "Hmpph!" noise of indignation at the twin's comments and the three of them re-settled themselves. Smiling to himself, Remus wandered on, past the little cupboard room Ginny used and past the bathroom. The door was open and he caught sight of himself in the mirror. He turned away quickly.

It was not his fault, he reminded himself quickly. Not his fault.

When he changed back, he decided, he would need some chocolate. It helped, it really did, especially just after the transformation back to his human form, when he always felt ill for a day or two-

He stiffened, suddenly, wolf-hackles rising involuntarily. He had heard something. A clinking sound, followed by a long, drawn out _shhhhhk!_ And some sort of muttering, coming from downstairs.

Who was it?

He could hear all the Order asleep now; his sharpened ears could even pick them out from each other. There should be no one else in the house. Who had been muttering? The paintings had all been sleeping when he went upstairs alone to transform and Mrs Black would never mutter if she could scream instead. He padded silently down to the ground floor. Unless you knew exactly what you were looking for, no one could find this house now, the Order had seen to that. How could anyone possibly get in without being noticed? Unless they were powerful. And not friendly enough to use the front door. Perhaps a Death Eater, Lupin thought grimly, although he doubted even they could penetrate the houses defences with at little noise as that. He had to investigate it, whatever it turned out to be.

He listened carefully from the dark hall until he heard the noise again, coming from the sitting room. Warily, he slunk over and put his head round the door.

A dark shape sat before the fire, silhouetted against the flames, swaying back and forth and muttering darkly. It was small and hard to make out. Almost accidentally, Lupin let out the smallest of growls. The figure turned sharply, unfolding itself into…

"Kreacher?" Lupin muttered. Of course the name came out as a different type of noise, harsh and rough. The little house elf, thinking he heard something, spun round sharply, raising the object in his hand as a weapon. Lupin almost laughed with relief. It was a massive ladle! Kreacher had been doing some late night cleaning, that was all. And some pilfering too, by the looks of it. There was a pile of the cutlery next to him, stacked as neatly as the house elf could manage. He was probably going to hide it away with all the other things he kept denying he had stolen. Lupin had completely forgotten about him, secretive little creature that he was.

But Kreacher was still suspicious. He turned away for a moment and seemed to be fumbling for something. Remus stepped into the room a little way to try and get a better view, aiming for a hiding place behind the sofa, but Kreacher spun back again before he had time to reach it and stopped short in horror at the sight of the massive beast that stood before him. He almost dropped what he was holding. The firelight glanced off it and hit Lupin in the eyes. He blinked at the sudden pain. It took him less than a second to work out why.

_Oh no_. He froze in dread.

Silver. The best silver cutlery was what Kreacher was cleaning and in his hand had been clutched a large, newly-sharpened carving knife. The wetting stone on the blade had been the strange _shhhk _noise he had heard from upstairs. In his wolf form even the sight of it was enough to make him back away. Silver could kill a werewolf, whatever its form at the time, or at least cause far worse damage than any normal weapon.

He backed off faster. Kreacher knew what he was. Sirius had expressly forbidden the house elf to enter Remus' room or tamper with anything of his - for the safety of the whole group - but Kreacher's service to Sirius had always been grudging and unfaithful. He had disobeyed him before, under the instruction of Mrs Black's portrait, but surely never…

"AAAIIIIIIIIIAAGH!" Kreacher shrieked. Remus clamped his ears down to his head to block out the painfully piercing scream.

… surely he would never try and actually harm…

Kreacher pointed the knife at him began to walk forward unsteadily. Remus, beginning to get seriously worried, snarled a warning at him, baring his fangs menacingly as only a werewolf could, still backing away. Kreacher hesitated; that snarl would have stopped a rabid dog - then began to advance again, muttering dementedly to himself, his eyes large and staring.

"Half-blooded creatures in the noble House of Black! Abomination! Abominable beast, it is. The mistress would never allow it!" The thought of Mrs Black's disapproval seemed to spur him on and he broke into a run, wielding the long knife like a berserkers axe.

Remus could have fought back but as long as his mind was human, he would do his utmost to avoid killing this pathetic creature and if he bit it and didn't finish the job there would be two werewolves for the Order to worry about. So he waited until the last minute, praying that Kreacher would stop, and then turned and ran, his long legs bounding across the hall and up the stairs three at a time. _Cursed silver! Cursed house elf!_

He could hear voices. Kreacher's scream had woken someone. He ran along the landing, dodging doors as they opened, threatening to knock him in the face. It slowed him down dangerously and he could hear Kreacher and the silver blade behind him and what sounded like Moody calling out. "What in the-"

Two shapes appeared on the landing, coming from opposite rooms. Tonks and Mrs Weasley, dressed in their nightwear. With a frustrated snarl he bounded between them, flattening his wolfish ears to his head to try and muffle the cries he heard behind him.

"Remus? Is that-"

"What in Merlin's beard is going on here?"

"Kreacher, what are you doing with that-"

"It's silver! That knife's silver, Molly! Remus wait!"

But Remus wouldn't wait. He could hear the determined Kreacher still behind him, taking advantage of the lead Remus had lost trying not to get his head pounded by doors, and Moody's voice further back, taking charge.

"Someone catch that stupid elf!" There were a few yells and a scramble of bodies as people leapt to help and then some higher pitched shouts as Ron and Ginny woke up and joined the fray.

"I've got him!"

"No, _I've_ got him."

"Hold still, you little beast."

"Kreacher, you get back here this minute!"

"Remus, come back!"

"Get _off_ me, Fred!"

"Get that knife off him!"

"Somebody grab the monster!"

Remus paused at the top of the third floor staircase to look back. They had been fast but they were still dazed from sleep and Kreacher's thin body had slipped through their fingers like oil. He made the stairs and raced up them with a ferocity powering his tiny frame that shocked the werewolf waiting at the top so much that for a split second he froze again in pure disbelief before twisting away and running towards his room on the upper floor. _He left his room once, just once and this is what happened!_

Kreacher reached the landing as he reached the door and Arthur Weasley was hot on the house elf's heels. He threw himself forward and grabbed Kreacher around the knees, knocking him down. With a scream of rage Kreacher sent the knife skittering across the floor. Remus' door was now closed and the wizard safely inside again but Arthur watched in helpless horror as the knife went spinning through the gap between the door and the floor. He heard the sudden silence as the knife struck something inside the roomand the beginning of what could have been a moan of pain. Then silence.

"Did you get him?" It was Mad-Eye Moody coming up the stairs behind him.

"I got him," said Arthur grimly, "but he may have done some damage. He threw the knife under the door and I think Remus might be hurt." Moody went straight to Lupin's door.

"Lupin, you in there? Are you alright?" There was no answer. "If you don't give some sort of answer I'm coming in there, wolf or not." There was a pause, then a very low growl.

"Best leave him," conceded Moody. "And as for _you_," he snarled, turning to the whimpering Kreacher Mr Weasley held aloft. "You know _you're _in trouble, don't you?"

"There was a werewolf in the house!" Kreacher shrieked. "An abominable creature! The mistress would not allow it."

"That was Lupin, you shrivelled imbecile." Kreachers eyes widened.

"But the ferocious beast was in the house, sir!"

"Don't you 'sir' me!" Moody warned him.

"He sounds like he genuinely didn't know," said Arthur. "Surely he must have been told."

"I'm not sure. I know Sirius warned him to leave Lupin's room be but… He must have told him. It was so he wouldn't get near the Wolfsbane." He grabbed Kreacher by the scruff of his dirty clothes.

"Did you know?" he asked sternly. "If you knew that Lupin was a werewolf say so now. Or I will force the truth out of you!"

"Kreacher never knew a thing, sir! It was an abominable beast invading the house," Kreacher replied hysterically, looking Moody in the non-magical eye. "Kreacher never knew!" Moody lowered him to the ground.

"If you are lying to me-"

"Oh no, sir!" cried Kreacher.

"What'll we do about Remus," asked Mr Weasley.

"I would imagine he'd rather be left alone for a while," Moody said, letting Kreacher go and glancing at the door. The little house elf checked himself over to make sure all his limbs were still attached. "I'll call on him first thing in the morning. Let's send the others back to bed."

They left the upper landing, followed by the seemingly dejected Kreacher. Occasionally, the little house elf would look back at Lupin's closed door and, once, smiled an evil little smirk.


	2. Wolf's bane

When Moody knocked on Lupin's door the next morning, there was no answer. He knocked again, called his name a few times. Still no answer. Sirius called up the stairs to him.

"Problem?" He caught sight of Moody's puzzled face and came up to join him.

"I'm not sure," Alastor replied. Sirius rapped sharply on the door.

"Remus? Open up Remus!" He gave Moody a sharp glance and the two of them pushed the door open together and went in.

Their horrified eyes followed the trail of bloody pawprints to the far side of the bed. There sat Remus, propped up against the bedside cabinet, clutching at a blood-covered hand with one of his battered old robes. It lay, dark and sticky, on his arm and his shirt as he held it against his chest, rising and falling ever so slightly as he breathed shallowly. His eyes were closed but as Moody and Sirius drew closer he half-opened them.

"Cursed silver," he said, very quietly, nodding at the other side of the room. Sirius went and picked up the crimson-stained knife by the handle. He seemed to be lost for words. Moody, on the other hand, was prompt and businesslike.

"How bad is it?" he asked, kneeling by Remus' side.

"Oh, quite bad," Remus replied lightly. "It's not too large but it's deep and it's a silver wound. It won't stop bleeding. They don't," he added softly and removed the cloth that was applying pressure to the wound for Moody to see. The gash ran diagonally from the base of his left thumb to a little way along his wrist, narrowly missing the major arteries. It was indeed quite deep and swollen badly around the edges. Lupin noticed the glance.

"It's like an extreme reaction," he explained. "That's why a sliver of silver in the bloodstream will kill a werewolf when a normal weapon won't. It'll be a slow healer." Blood began to seep from the wound again and Remus reapplied the cloth, wincing a little as he pressed on the swollen tissue.

"Why didn't you show this to us last night?" Moody wanted to know.

"I couldn't. As soon as I realised what had happened I tried to pull the knife out. I heard you call once but I must have passed out after I removed it and I didn't hear you call again." His voice was alarmingly quiet and weak.

"Again it's a reaction to the pain of the silver. But thank heavens for Wolfsbane. If I hadn't been in my right mind I probably wouldn't have thought to try and remove the knife – a normal werewolf would just go crazy with pain but wouldn't think to do anything about it. I wouldn't have got it out before I passed out. It would have stayed in there while I was unconscious and I'd be in a much worse state now."

He paused from his explanation to take a moments rest. Personally, Moody doubted that Lupin could look much worse. His face was pure white from loss of blood, his hands shook from exhaustion and he looked liable to faint again at any moment. But his voice and eyes were as clear and calm as ever. Strange how he could do that.

"I couldn't staunch the blood," Remus muttered guiltily. "Not with… paws. I tried, I couldn't do anything. Then I fainted and I don't think I woke up until I transformed back again. And by then I was just too weak to really… Sirius? Are you alright?" Moody turned to see Sirius, frozen to the spot, gripping the knife in white knuckles, a murderous expression on his face.

"I'll kill that house-elf," he forced through gritted teeth. "I swear I will. I'll-" With a sudden ferocity he turned towards the door.

"Sirius! Don't!" Lupin exclaimed and tried to get up and go after him. He staggered but Moody caught his elbow and steadied him, at the same time roaring after the man swiftly striding out the door.

"SIRIUS BLACK!" Sirius stopped only yards outside the door and turned round slowly and deliberately. His face was nearly as pale as Remus', but with cold fury.

"I'll kill that vicious little beast," he said ferociously. "I'll-

"Yes, we _know _Sirius," said Moody.

"It was an accident," Lupin said faintly, leaning on Moody's arm. "Even he couldn't have planned it like that. It was at least partly my fault."

"Don't you believe it," Black told him. "He's a vindictive little monster. He wouldn't think twice about turning any of us in if he could."

"That's as may be," Moody interrupted. "But at the moment we have some more immediate problems. Come and help Lupin, Sirius. We need to get this seen to." Sirius seemed to be struggling to control himself but with a wrench of will he returned to the room and stood next to Lupin, supporting him from his other side.

"Ready, Remus?"

"Yes. But could you just pass me that packet on my desk please?" Moody did so. Remus took it in his good hand and broke it with a SNAP.

"Chocolate," he said, putting a piece in his mouth.

"Helps, does it?" asked Moody. Sirius gave a wry smile as Remus replied.

"Yes. Yes it helps."


	3. Old scars

A short while later Lupin was sat at the kitchen table with Molly Weasley attending to his arm. Moody had listened to Lupin's side of the story and then disappeared somewhere but Sirius leant morosely against the wall, looking ready to tear Kreacher apart by the ears if he so much as poked his head in the kitchen, and watching Lupin anxiously.

Remus had flatly refused to be taken to see a medic, saying it wouldn't help anyway, and had been grudgingly obliged. _He_ kept glancing at Tonks, who was still there too, insisting that she was not late for work.

"You'd better not be hanging around on my account, Tonks," said Lupin. She shrugged

"What if I am?" she said. "Which I'm not," she added. Lupin gave a chuckle which turned into a sharp gasp as Molly touched a particularly sore spot.

"I'll be fine," he assured her through gritted teeth. "It's not too big a cut, even if it is from silver."

"That's all very well for you to say," Mrs Weasley said. "If it would just stop bleeding for two seconds-"

"It _is _very well for me to say it, Molly," said Remus stiffly. "It's my arm. And it _will_ stop, eventually." Mrs Weasley pursed her lips. Every time she managed to clean one area of blood, another was already scarlet again.

"Where is Kreacher?" Lupin asked, trying to steer the subject in another direction. He gave Sirius, who had suddenly stiffened, a sharp glance but his friend managed to keep his cool.

"Merlin knows," said Tonks. "He gave me such a fright last night when he screeched like that. I jumped a mile! Screaming blue murder, he was. I never knew he had it in him."

"Neither did I," said Lupin wryly. "He can be a vicious little creature can't he."

"Moody's not sure. Apparently Kreacher told him and Arthur that he had no idea it was you. He spoke to him again this morning and he said the same thing. But how could he not know! Everyone was told, weren't they?"

"It's no more than I expected," Remus said. "Remember, apart from Sirius, he doesn't owe any one of us his allegiance. Only Mrs Black's portrait and that doesn't count for much." He ate another piece of chocolate reflectively.

"It counts for nothing," Sirius clarified.

"Quite. Here Molly, let me help." Remus held down a pad of gauze while Mrs Weasley bound it firmly in place with a long white bandage. The blood soaked through to the surface but didn't appear to go any further.

"Thank you," Lupin said kindly and offered her some chocolate. Tonks giggled.

"That's your answer to everything, isn't it Remus. You must get through at least ten bars a day." Lupin smiled.

"It's a good remedy for many things," he said. "And it tastes wonderful! However I can't always eat it. The sugar nullifies the effect of the Wolfsbane so I have to be very careful as to when I have it." Mrs Weasley took a few squares and Remus offered the packet to Sirius and Tonks.

"You and your chocolate, Moony," sighed Sirius, allowing himself a slight smile. But he took some anyway. "You got that from Madam Pomfrey, didn't you?"

"Yes." Remus admitted. "I spent so much time in that ward I must know it inside out… You can have some if you go to work, Tonks. And stay there!" Lupin added, remembering Tonks' habit of Apparating to and from the Ministry whenever she felt like it. With a laugh she took the chocolate.

"Take it easy, Remus, alright?" she said, and BANG, she and the chocolate Apparated away.

"You do as she says," warned Mrs Weasley. "It's not so long since I had Charlie coming in every five minutes with some new scrape for me to handle and he wouldn't sit still for a minute!"

"Don't worry," said Remus, laughing with less than his usual energy. "I won't run away."

"Good." She smiled good-naturedly, then added a little more seriously, "It's really quite bad, isn't it?"

"For a cut of that size, yes," Remus replied. "I've survived far worse though. It's nearly pure silver, that knife, and I think Kreacher had just sharpened it too. I've been very lucky with silver so far. It's amazing how often you run across something when you're trying to avoid it and there've been some … umm…close calls. This one will leave a scar, I expect. It's deep enough." He gestured towards his bandaged hand.

"Why, do you have others?" Molly asked, hoping he would say no.

"About four or five larger ones." He rolled up his sleeve and showed her a faint silvery line that ran along his upper arm. "They never really heal properly. Just to use silver on a werewolf is a magic in itself. The worst one I have is from… from my days at Hogwarts." His face drew a little tighter, as did Sirius's. Mrs Weasley looked from one to the other, registering their pained expressions. Clearly there was a story here that wanted to come out. She waited to see which one would speak first. It was Remus.

"James, Peter, Sirius and I were supposed to be polishing up some old suits of armour and things for a detention. For petrifying Mrs Norris or something like that, wasn't it Sirius? Filch always had it in for us.

But us being the ridiculous young things that we were, we started playing around and tossing the knives and swords to each other to clean. I was beneath a balcony when Peter threw one of the knives at me. He swore afterwards that he called but I didn't hear him. It was unsheathed, or else the scabbard came off as it fell, and it cut straight down my shoulder blade. Pure silver; an ornamental dagger, and very old. It went deeper than any blade ever has and some of the silver must have stayed in my bloodstream somehow. I was sick for weeks, delirious and if it had been even slightly worse I could very easily have died. They tell me I nearly did. The others visited me every day but I hear Sirius nearly shook Peter's brains out." He glanced at Sirius, who nodded shortly.

"If any of us ever fell out, it was me and Peter," he explained to Mrs Weasley. "I didn't like the way he fawned over James all the time and played up to him; like a lapdog to it's master. I was right in the end though, wasn't I," he mused. "Always playing up to the powerful ones. Anyway, I was nearly frantic with worry, we all were, and I've never done well at hiding my emotions." He gave a grim smile. "I wanted to know how he could have been so stupid as to throw Remus unsheathed silver, of all things. Peter swore again and again that it was an accident and I believed him once I'd calmed down a bit. I wonder now whether he was already under Voldemort's thumb even then."

Lupin nodded dully. "I suppose we may find out very soon if things carry on as they are."

"It was awful, Moony." Sirius was still speaking, a far-away expression on his face, struck through with grief and half-forgotten fear. "You wouldn't move, you couldn't hear us. It was full moon a few days after. They had to lock off the whole Infirmary to keep the castle safe from you because they didn't dare move you but you didn't even struggle when you changed. You just transformed one way and then a few hours later you shifted back again. You never moved once. We thought you were… Well I did, anyway. James refused to believe you would. He kept saying it over and over, that you'd live, that you'd be okay. Lily couldn't talk any sense to him and I didn't even want to try. Peter didn't speak to us for days. He kept shaking his head and muttering over and over that it was all wrong, that he'd made a mistake, a dreadful mistake. We thought he meant hurting you. We all just sat round your bed all day and tried to talk to you but you never answered us. You couldn't hear us."

"No," Remus said in a hoarse whisper, staring at the table. "No, I heard you. I heard every word you said. I kept floating back and forth but all the time all I could hear was you and Peter and James. You said I'd be alright, didn't you. You kept telling me I would and I believed you. That's why I kept coming back." His fingers played absently with the chocolate, which began to slowly melt onto them, bruising his fingertips with brown. "I think you saved my life, the three of you."


	4. Never angry

"Remus!" Molly interrupted, pointing at the bandage. Lupin lifted his hand; the blood had seeped through the bandages and was beginning to stain the table.

"Oh, I'm sorry Molly," he said bleakly as she helped him put another one on top.

"It can't be helped," she replied kindly, seeing his careworn expression deepen.

"I'm sorry to be such a bother to everyone," he continued tiredly. "I'm sure I cause the Order more trouble than I do help, but I can't just watch as Voldemort regains power. I can't not try and help."

"No one blames you for what you are, Remus," Sirius said. "I certainly don't. If you weren't a werewolf, there'd never have been the four Marauders, or the Map and things could have turned out very differently to how they are now. About Peter and the Dementors after I escaped from Azkaban. If you hadn't worked it out first, even Harry would have been against me. He would have done it. James' own son would have handed me over to _them_ if it hadn't been for you." He shuddered. "If you think about it," he added soberly, "I owe you my soul."

"And you aren't a bother," added Mrs Weasley, tying off the bandage. "It's been nice to have both your company in the house now and again, what with everyone else in and out with work for the Order. And Sirius is right; we all owe you a lot, Remus. Ron and Harry's lives too; what with the teaching you did. You were very brave to go back to Hogwarts at all. We owe both of you." She glanced at Sirius, wary to include him in such a compliment. Lupin smiled gratefully at them both. "Thank you. You're both very kind."

"For goodness sake take a compliment when it's offered you, Remus!" Sirius said, shaking his head with a mixture of fondness and exasperation. Remus smiled again, meaning it this time.

"Alright. Thank you."

He sighed and reached for the chocolate, then drew his hand back. Molly pushed it over to him.

"Eat it," she said. "You need it. You've had a rougher night than most." He snapped off another square thoughtfully.

"But Moony, there's something I need to tell you." Sirius' voice had gone strangely quiet again. "About Kreacher." Remus looked up at him with trusting eyes.

"He didn't know did he?"

Sirius shook his head.

"Because you never did tell him. About what I was."

"No. I didn't. Partly because I was afraid he'd go and do something like this if he knew and now it's happened anyway. He was right when he said that my mother would never allow it. If he'd known and told her she'd have ordered him to do something about it and he would have done it. I was only threatening him because I was furious with myself for letting this happen to you again. I couldn't stop Peter with that dagger and I couldn't even stop a house elf with a kitchen knife. I've lost two of my best friends to dark powers now, Remus. I'm not losing any more." Remus nodded.

"I thought so. And I understand," he said quietly. "I feel the same. The last fifteen years have been a bit strange for me. I've lost my three best friends only to have you return innocent, find the son of the other and see the third alive, although he may as well not be, after what I'll do to him when I find him."

"That's very vicious for you, Moony," said Sirius blandly. "But am I forgiven?"

"Not nearly as vicious as a certain black dog under the Shrieking Shack two summers ago, Padfoot, my friend. You would have torn him limb from limb."

"I would not. I would have killed him outright!" Sirius protested. "Limb from limb takes far too long."

"And yes, you are forgiven."

"Why is it you never get angry at me any more, Moony?"

"I know you too well. Besides, I spent twelve years being angry at you and I think I gave it up after a while. It becomes more painful even than silver to have to hate a friend the way I tried to hate you." He paused. "I never got angry at you, did I?"

"You did. Around full moon you got angry with everyone."

"That hardly counts. And I wasn't angry. You try being a werewolf for a while. It's not fun, Sirius. You'd get frustrated too."

"Hmmph. I had enough of that in Azkaban, thank you." The two of them fell silent for a moment. Molly Weasley felt she could see something of her own teenage sons in their faces.

"What about," said Sirius quietly, "when I told Severus how to find you. And James went in after him. Do you remember that?"

"I'm not likely to forget," Remus replied. "That hex stung for weeks. I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life as I was when I saw him coming down that tunnel. I could feel myself starting to change and there was nothing I could do then either. Even then, I don't think I was angry. I felt upset and betrayed but I wasn't angry. I never understood why. But I forgave you for that too, years ago. I think the only person I'm truly angry with now is Peter"

"Good," grunted Sirius, clearly still thinking about the punishement he would have liked to inflict upon Pettigrew. Lupin gave a little smile and then grew quiet again, watching Molly pack away the bandages with blank eyes.


	5. Remus' bane

"What are you thinking," Sirius enquired, after a minute of silence had passed. Lupin shook his head wearily.

"Something someone said; either you or Harry. Something you mentioned, after that fiasco at the Triwizard Championship… Something, I… No, I can't remember. I should probably write to him – Harry I mean. Maybe he can remember what it was." He stood up a little shakily but decisively and glanced at the blood-stained clothes he'd been wearing since last night.

"I'm going to change, and maybe try and get some sleep."

He left the kitchen, still wondering what it was that Harry had said. It was something about… about Peter. He ran the scene over in his mind as Sirius had reported it to him. All the details of Voldemort's re-empowerment in the graveyard. The death of Cedric, the gravestone, the cauldron, the knife, the Death Eaters. Every detail…

One by one.

One by-

When Sirius and Mrs Weasley heard the thud on the stairs they both ran into the hall, afraid that Lupin had passed out again. He had not. He had sat heavily on the stairs and was now holding the injured arm with the other, as if to protect it. As they drew nearer he spoke; softly and with forced slowness.

"I remember," he said. "It was Peter. It was about what Peter did that night, at the graveyard. He cut off his own hand, remember?" They shivered and nodded.

"And Voldemort made him a new one. I'd forgotten what you said, Sirius. Forgotten completely." He looked up as if this explained everything. Seeing their confusion he clarified it for them, shaking his head in disbelief.

"The hand, it was made of-"  
"Silver!" croaked Sirius suddenly.

"Yes," Lupin said quietly. "Molten silver." He rested his head in his hands.

"You don't think-" Mrs Weasley began, shock entering her voice.

"Oh I do, Molly. Of all the things Voldemort could have chosen to give him; a silver hand. Coincidence? I think not."

"I won't let it happen," Sirius blurted determinedly. "I won't let it happen again."

"You may not have much choice, Sirius," Remus said, smiling sadly at his friend. "If it happens, it happens, and it may be that no one is there to stop it. I won't go easily, I promise you that."

"No! I'll die before I see him hurt you again! As he should have done for James and Lily all those years ago, I'll die first. I'm not losing anyone else!"

"I know," said Remus soothingly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, Sirius. I know you will. But never over Harry. Harry has to come first now."

"Of course," said Sirius Black. "You know I'd die for him too."

"We both would," said Remus Lupin softly. "We both would."

Replies to reviews/comments 

DeadBoysPoem: Thanks, I'm glad you like it! As to it being short, I like writing short-stories! LOL. And no it is not, nor will it become, a Remus/Sirius slash. I do not approve of slashes. I don't see why every single little affection has to be construed as sexual attraction. Guys can be friends, really GOOD friends, without constantly wanting to sleep with them. So no to that question.

Romulus901: Thanks for your comments. I love ending chapters on little cliffhangers! I don't know if I'll continue or not. I kinda like it how it is, but if I do, your reviews are more than welcome!

Fire-breathing ferret:  Thank you so much! I do try really hard to make my stories true to the characters, so I'm really pleased someone noticed! And I hate Kreacher too!

Xtin2000: Thanks! Stories aren't just for fun you know! Well obviously they _are_ for fun, LOL, but it's nice if you feel you've learnt something at the end, or it's touched a deeper topic, like friendship, as you said.


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